Aspirator

ABSTRACT

An aspirating device suitable for use in conjunction with the doffing of yarn wound members, the device employing a vacuum to pick up a yarn end and a selective compressed air supply to increase yarn threadline tensions only during initial yarn attachment to the next member to be wound. The compressed air is fed through a bushing member which serves to create a rarefield atmosphere and to spread the yarn filament bundle, increasing yarn cross-sectional area and consequently yarn tension.

ilnited States Patent Bethea et al.

[111 3,750,922 Atlg.7, 1973 ASPIRATOR Inventors: Thomas J. Bethea;Charles R. Dixon,

both of Rock Hill, S.C.; Wyatt P. Hargett, Jr.; William H. Stokes, bothof Charlotte, NC.

Celanese Corporation, New York, N.Y.

Filed: Dec. 30, 1971 Appl. No.: 213,862

Assignee:

U.S. Cl. 226/97, 28/14 Int. Cl B65h 17/32 Field of Search 239/4245;226/97;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1969 Bell et al 28/14 X SiavikA. 226/9 X Ashby et al....

Primary Examiner-Allen N. Knowles Assistant Examiner-Gene A. ChurchAttbfriey TfioiiiasI Mofgan: STtephen D. Murphy et a].

[57] ABSTRACT A'n aspirating'device -suitable for use in conjunctionwith the doffing of yarn wound members, the device employing a vacuum topick up a yarn end and a selective compressed air supply to increaseyarn threadline tensions only during initial yarn attachment to the nextmember to be wound. The compressed air is fed through a bushing memberwhich serves to create a rarefield atmosphere and to spread the yarnfilament bundle, increasing yarn cross-sectional area and consequentlyyarn tension. 1

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PAIENTEU SHEU 1 BF 3 INVENTORS Thomas J.Bethea Charles R. Dixon Wyatt P. Hargett Jr? William H. Stokes ATTORNEYPATENIED 71975 SIEH 2 0F 3 INVENTORS Thomas J. Bethea Charles R. DixonWyatt P. Hargett Jr, William H, St

ATTORNEY minnow Hm 3.750.922

SHEH 3 0F 3 a K Q5, 03 2 a MIX/W1, mp

INVENTORS Thomas J. Bethea Charles R. Dixon Wyatt P Hargett Jr. W1HiamH.Stokes ATTORNEY ASPIRATOR This invention relates to devices forclearing textile machines of the general type wherein continuous lengthsformed from textile fibers are continuously wound and doffed. Examplesof such machines are spinning frames and synthetic filament yarnspinning take-up means or any wound yarn packaging system which issubject to manual or automatic doffing.

In a doffing operation, the free yarn end must be caught and removed orthe free yarn end will wrap on the feed roll to form waste which isoften wound into the next package being wound. Even when waste yarn iscut from a feed roll, the lint formed by the cutting operation maydamage the next package being wound.

In textile practice, a typical portable yarn aspirator of the typegenerally referred to as a sucker gun is designed as a hand tool to bemanually handled and manipulated by an operator. The aspirator isconnected to a source of air under pressure which is employed to createa rarefied pressure atmosphere for producing an intake or draft of airinto a nozzle on the aspirator. Control over a continuous movingthreadline or yarn end is readily obtained by bringing the aspiratorwithin close proximity of and aiming the nozzle at the yarn end. Theyarn end is pulled into the aspirator, carried therethrough anddeposited in a receptacle or bag. Conventional aspirators, however, donot develop sufficient threadline tension to consistently allow thelacing ofa new bobbin; that is to say, when attempting to wind a yarnend on a fresh bobbin, the yarn will frequently lap about the feed rolldue to insufficient threadline tensions. While such devices havesufficient vacuum to pick up a loose yarn end, yarn tensions are belowthat level necessary to affect a throw on or initial attachment to thenext bobbin to be wound. The tension is important inasmuch as in lacingthe bobbin, the running loop is pulled from the vacuum orifice insteadof the feed roll.

In addition to the varying requirements placed on an aspirator, it isnecessary that the air consumption be minimized due to operatingexpenses.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a yarn aspiratorwhich has the ability to pick .up a free yarn end and when necessarygenerate yarn tensions suitable to affect the lacing of a new bobbin.

It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus whereinyarn pick-up and yarn tensioning actions are controlled in conjunctionwith the action of an automatic doffing device.

These and other objects of the invention will be more readily apparentfrom the following detailed description of the invention.

The yarn aspirator of this invention comprises a housing provided withan inlet means connected to a valve actuated source of air underpressure and connected to a vacuum source. When said valve is in theopen position, air under pressure flows through passage means in thehousing and thence to a bushing means therein adapted to create ararefied air condition for effecting an increased intake of air into anozzle mounted on the housing. The-nozzle is directly connected to avacuum source which is in substantially continuous operation. A yarn endresulting from a doffing operation may be readily picked up by relyingon the vacuum source alone with threadline tensions being increased fora lacing operation by subsequent actuation of the source of air underpressure. When lacing is complete, the flow of air under pressure isstopped.

A better understanding of the invention may be had from the followingdetailed description of the invention wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the yarn aspirator device of thisinvention as employed in conjunction with a synthetic filament spinningapparatus employing a balloon twisting device;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the yarn aspirator device of thisinvention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged topview of the aspirator jet bushing component ofthe aspirator device of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV,IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the air valve arrangement of the aspiratordevice of this invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a take-up means for a filament spinning cabinet isillustrated diagrammatically, a yarn 2 issuing from cabinet 1 is passedabout a feed roll 3 pigtail guide member 4 being employed to center theyarn on feed roll member 3. In winding operations, the yarn thenprogresses from feed roll member 3 through balloon guide member 5 ontobobbin 6. When bobbin 6 is fully wound, the bobbin is either doffedmanually or automatically whereupon the broken yarn end is picked up byaspirator device 7, aspirator device 7 being connected with a vacuumline 8 and a compressed air line 9. The broken yarn end is then causedto pass from feed roll member S into the nozzle member 10 of theaspirator device by use of vacuum alone and unaided by compressed air. Athrow on or lacing of a new bobbin is then effected by increasingthreadline tension by use of compressed air and taking the yarn from thearea between feed roll member 3 and nozzle member 10 and securing it tothe new bobbin. As previously noted, prior art aspirators or sucker gunsfail to maintain sufficient tension so as to permit an effective lace-upsubsequent to the yarn being aspirated into the sucker gun andconsequently the yarn would frequently lap about the feed roll. A betterunderstanding of the improved apparatus of this invention may be hadfrom FIG. 2 of the drawings which is acrosssectional view of theaspirator of this invention the aspirator comprising a flared nozzlemember 21, which is secured to housing member 29 being equipped with anair supply header 20. Compression nut 30 secures vacuum line 28 tohousing member 29. Housed within compression nut 30 is bushing member,22. Bushing member 22 has an axially disposed orifice 23 and a pluralityof aspirating holes 24 positionedabout said axial orifice 23, and tappedthrough bushing member 22 in a manner such that an extension of thelongitudinal axis of axial orifice 23 and the longitudinal axis of eachof aspirating holes 24 will intersect the inside surface of the sleeveinsert 25 near the sleeve insert entrance. Bushing member 22 is held inposition by engaging nozzle member 21 on one face and sleeve insertmember 25 on the other face. Sleeve insert member 25 engages the flaredend of vacuum line 28 and the periphery of bushing member 22. Vacuumline 28 also serves as a yarn transport line. Sleeve insert member 25serves to form a throat in vacuum 'line 28 and thereby improve thefunction of bushing member 22 upon the application of compressed air.

The construction of bushing member 22 may be seen in greater detail inFIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the bushingmember has its axially disposed orifice 23 counter sunk to receive thenozzle member. A plurality of aspirating holes are evenly spaced aboutaxial orifice 23 on an equal radius. The longitudinal axis of aspiratingholes 24 are as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, preferably canted at a slightangle from the horizontal. Preferably aspirating holes 24 are disposedevery 45 about axial orifice 23 and are canted at an angle of 40 fromthe horizontal. Bushing member 22, in addition to creating a rarefiedair condition on the application of compressed air, spreads apart thefilaments of the aspirated yarn bundle to produce additionalcross-sectional area. The result of this spreading is increased yarntension as the compressed air performs work on the filament bundle.

The aspirator device of this invention may employ continuous orintermittent use of vacuum, the vacuum alway being activated to pick upthe free yarn end. Subsequent to picking up the threadline, yarn tensionis increased by actuating the compressed air line. The use of compressedair is continued until bobbin replacement and throw on is complete.While the aspirator device of this invention may be manually operated, apreferred embodiment is automatic operation in conjunction with anautomatic doffing device. Exemplary of automatic doffing devices withwhich this invention is concerned are doffing devices of the type setforth in U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 147,951, filed May 28, 1971.Bobbin handling apparatus of this type includes a carriage that movesalong the length of the spinning machine and in time sequence removes aplurality of filled bobbins from their spindles, transfers the filledbobbins to a rack or bobbin transports, picks up a plurality of emptybobbins, transfers the empty bobbins to the previously doffed spindles,and then travels to the next position, where the process is repeated.

In the production of synthetic yarns, a plurality of filaments emergefrom the extrusion cabinet and pass over a feed roll and are thentwisted together and wound on a bobbin. Typically, as many as a hundredspindles, or more, are mounted vertically in a row that extendslongitudinally of the machine from below the extrusion cabinet. Aplurality of filaments are looped around the feed roll and contactedthrough a balloon guide and a ring and traveler and are wound on thebobbins. Each bobbin is rotated by a drive mechanism connected with thespindles. A clutch and brake under each spindle allows the spindles tobe individually stopped. When the aspirator device of this invention isemployed for automatic operation in conjunction with a doffing device,the aspirator is activated automatically by the bobbin handler whichopens an air valve mounted near the brake setter track. The bobbinhandler then activates the air supply valve and then the bobbin brake oneach metier position. When throw-on has been completed, the aspirator isde-activated by turning the aspirator air supply valve off manually, orautomatically by the bobbin handler when it traverses to the nextposition. Excellent tension characteristics during the critical timeinterval are thereby achieved.

The means by which automatic actuation and deactuation of the aspiratorair supply is achieved may be better understood from a discussion ofFIG. 5 of the drawings. As can be seen in FIG. 5, a plurality ofaspirators 51 are joined to aspirator manifolds 52, the aspiratormanifolds 52 being supplied with compressed air flowing through airsupply header 57 pressurized by compressed air valve 65 and diverted toaspirator manifold 52 by means of compressed air control valve 58. Thecompressed air control valve 58 is controlled in turn by air switchvalve 56, which as previously mentioned, is actuated by the bobbinhandler. On completion of the doff, the bobbin handler, as previouslymentioned, moves to the next position whereupon it actuates-a downstreamair switch valve 56a which in turn opens a downstream compressed aircontrol valve 58a causing compressed air to flow through aspiratormanifold 52 and back into compressed air control valve 58. The effect ofthis equalizing air flow is to cause compressed air valve 58 to close,thereby cutting off the compressed air supply to the now doffed bobbinpositions. Waste yarn collected by individual aspirators 51 istransferred through individual vacuum lines v53 to vacuum header 54. Theintensity of the vacuum header 54 is regulated by means of valve member55, which is positioned at the extremity of vacuum header 54. At theother terminus of vacuum header 54, a yarn waste tank 59 is secured,yarn waste tank 59 being provided with a screen separator 60 which isdisposed in advance of vacuum line 61, which is joined to vacuum valve62. Vacuum valve 62 is joined to a vacuum pump 64. Screen separator 60thereby prevents waste yarn from being drawn into either the vacuumvalve 62 or the vac uum pump 64. As previously mentioned, the vacuum maybe operated continuously or alternatively, a switch member 63 may beactuated manually or automatically at the start of a doffing cycle.

Having thus disclosed the invention, what is claimed 1. An "aspiratingdevice suitable for use in conjunction with yarn doffing operations,saiddevice comprising a housing, said housing provided with an inletmeans connected to a valve actuated source of air under pressure, ayarri receiving-nozzle member secured thereto, said nozzle beingconnected to a vacuum source, a bushing means disposed in said housingand fitted to said nozzle, said bushing having an axially dissleevemember which forms a throat in a vacuum line.

=0: 1: a a a

1. An aspirating device suitable for use in conjunction with yarndoffing operations, said device comprising a housing, said housingprovided with an inlet means connected to a valve actuated source of airunder pressure, a yarn receiving nozzle member secured thereto, saidnozzle being connected to a vacuum source, a bushing means disposed insaid housing and fitted to said nozzle, said bushing having an axiallydisposed orifice fitted to said nozzle member and a plurality ofaspirating holes evenly positioned about said orifice on an equal radiuswhereby a rarified air condition may be created.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein said aspirating holes are 45* apart.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein said aspirating holes are at an angle of 40* from thehorizontal.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the face of said bushingopposite the nozzle fitted face is secured to a sleeve member whichforms a throat in a vacuum line.